Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-15
cuYLER TO CROSBY.
Paul's Law Of Charity as an Argu-
ment for Total Abstinence.

Rev. DR.. Theodore l.. Cuyler, in the
Homiletic Reriem, in an able article Win
the above title replies to DR.. Howard Cros-
by upon the same subject. We quote from
DR.. Cuyler's article as follows:
wines. as we'll as whisky or gin, on the es-
aentinl nature of alcoholic beverages. We
oppose the use of intoxicants because ter
rible experience shows that the use inevi-
tably tends toward abuse. We oppose the
drinking-usaees in toto. because they are
not demanded by any necessity, and vet
involve infinite perils; because alcoholic
beverages 1--WE are not talking of m%edicines)
are not a proper and needed nutriment,
supply NJ strength or permanent warmth,
and work infinite harm to thousands where
they can possibly help a single one. We do
not neeG to quote any of the Bible-warn-
ings against wine as a mocker, or as con-
aiming the adder's sting; if the Bible were
against intoxicants in the very laws which
the Creator has written upon the human
body.
Sin dealing with the question of absti-
nence from an intoxicant, we must keep in
mind that it is not a merely negative article,
about WHO'S use or non use one may toss
up Y copper. The essential nature of in
toxicating beverages, as tending to kindle
depraved appetite, as tending to provoke
excess, as tending to infame the brain, and
in possessing a subtle influence to enslave
those who use them-this nature of the
article itself must be taken into the ac-
count. We do not pretend that everyone
who drinks an occasional glass OF WING be-
comes a drunkard. But we do affirm that
everyone who drinks wine throws the whole
weight of his influence in favor of the
drinking usages which do make the drunk
ards. y glass of Intoxicating wine is not
an innocent beverage in the same sense
that q glass of mix or u glass of water IS
innocent. No one can reasonably be
asked to abstain from either of these latter
beverages for the sake of his neighbor.
They have no tendency to inf1ame bad ap-
petite, no tendency to breed excess, no
tendency 10 disorder the bra n, no tendency
to get fatal mastery over both body and
soul. If wine and whisky efor some Amer
lean wines contain 20 per cent. of alcohoD
did not contain these dangerous qualities,
how could t ey make my weaker brethren
'stumble?' If not essentially dangerous to
others, why should I be asked, by any law
of charity to aLs,ain from their use?: 1t
is not enough tor ln4 to intrench myself in
selIishne>s and say, My wine-bottle does
me no HARM My wine-bot,le is my vol
untary contribution to tile drinRiny-usa5 es
of soci ty which are hurlin, mill Gus into
eternal dnmnation! Can that wine bottle
be pronounced Innocent No! MOI"
Again:
CDR. Crosby has been very %outspoken in
his denunciations of the American stage,
and in his frank, incislve style hls u .iirmed
that the thea,er is a nasty pace Suppose
some church member shoud say to him, Il
only attend the theater occasional y, and l
only go whom [ LII wi ness an u~neXceptiona-
Bile play. The theater never harmed me or
my family DR.. Crosby would probably
reply to him: The American stage is a
concrete institution. 1t is to be Judged as
q t]oiotity; and as such it encourases Iasciv-
iousness and endangers eharacter, and pol
lutes both performers and spectators, and
rulnS thousands. Ii you p%atronize the stnge
with your money AMI your personal intiu-
ence You become an abettOr OF it, and you
must take your share of the responsibility
Amen to That, Brother Crosby! You are
now sending the Pauline principle of alb
stinence for the sake of others, like a MIME
r he bail, right into that church
conscience.
But suppose, again, that your theater-
going Christian had been reading your ar
ticle on 'Pauls Law Of Charity, AID, quo
ting your own language, should say: 1T
is my own sole Judgment that has any au-
tween me and my God IN foro conscient.G.
| am to see what act of mine may make my
brother stumble in his piety, and I am to
refrain from that act; but no man is 10
usurp dominion over my soul and order my
abstinence from the theater fir I'M his view
1t you discovered that your Fourth avenue
church-members were all turning theater-
goers under this plea of yours YOU would
probably say to them: My dear people, it
is about time that you looked into your "
consciences to see whether they are gov
erned by the law of brotherly love or by
the laws of Belial.'
sin your article, therefore, you surrender
your whole position when you say, .My
nance and growth of piety in my brethren.
If am convinced that any possible act of
ne may inter ere with this, and may be a
stumbling-block over who CHI my Christian
brother will fall, it is my duty to avoid hat
act Nobly said! None of us total alb
stainers could have said it more conciselv.
Now, you must know that the wine- bottle
NAV b, and often is, just as dangerous to
q Christian brot er as it is to an ungodlv
convivialist. And if the bottle were only
dangerous to those who are out of Christ.
is it not your duty as a Christian to do as
much for those whom you try to convert as
for those who are already converted? Is it
not an equally obligatory duty to take
stumbling block, out of the way Of the
worldlings? Now, the drinking-usages are
terrible stumbling blocks in the path of
both Christians and unconverted sinners,
And I have heard your frankly expressed
opinions about wine drinking, and your
severe dennnciation of total abstinence
quoted more than once in defense OF the
drinking usnges. Just as you would make
no Roadway in persu ding a young man
from the theater who would say to you, Il
saw you at the theater the other night so
you will not BE- in a u position to warn him
against tie VIGOROUSLY insidious dangers
OF the wine-cu as long as you defend e
practice of wine drinking. You made your
liberty al occasion of stumblin to Others.
This whole argument of example, which
you rather sneer at, is really a most ire
mendous argument against any Christian
attempting to play with the serpen,s which
are coiled in every wine bottle. If your or
my, use OF wine is SO Ii ht a matter that it
Will cost no hardship to abandon it, then
surely we may do it as a wholetome exam-
pie to others. IT the habit is SO confirmed
That the abandonment would be a hardship,
then the sooner we give it up for our own
sake the better